


Hide and Seek

by msermesth



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Angst, Hydra Cap, Hydra Steve Rogers, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Secret Empire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 20:52:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11169873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msermesth/pseuds/msermesth
Summary: When Tony had volunteered to spy on Steve, he justified it by saying that he had the best chance to do so undetected. They needed to learn about their enemy and pick up any leads about the Cosmic Cube shards. In reality, all Tony was doing was participating in some elaborate self-punishment for not stopping this nightmare.





	Hide and Seek

**Author's Note:**

> This is set somewhere around Secret Empire #2.
> 
> Two warnings-  
> 1\. This is a fic that engages with the whole Hydra Cap thing. I’m sure you already know if you want to read a Hydra Cap story.  
> 3\. This is un-betad, so there are probably some typos.
> 
> Now that I’ve given you every option to turn back, I hope you enjoy the fic.

He had been sitting there, figuratively at least, for the last hour with nothing show for it. When Tony had volunteered to spy on Steve, he justified it by saying that he had the best chance to do so undetected. They needed to learn about their enemy and pick up any leads about the Cosmic Cube shards. In reality, all Tony was doing was participating in some elaborate self-punishment for not stopping this nightmare. He had expected to see something that made it clear that this wasn’t his Steve. If he could just know that for sure, then maybe he could mourn the figurative death of his friend and truly begin to find a way to destroy this man the way Natasha wanted.

But no, besides being evil-beyond-evil, this was the same man. It wasn’t just the physical resemblance, or the very intensity in how he gave orders or studied field reports. It was in the little things, like the way undetectably slouched when no one was around. Tony knew that man better than the back of his hand, and it turned out he knew this man too. It was disgusting. If he had a stomach to empty, he would have vomited.

Steve finally looked up from the intelligence report he had been studying and while looking nowhere in particular said, “Hi, Tony.” Tony’s brain froze and it took a second to restart everything.

At least that confirmed what Tony had begun to expect. It had been too easy to hack into the space. “Nice of you to finally acknowledge me.” He said, trying to sound like none of it mattered. That this was just another villain.

“I’ve been waiting for you. I miss you.” Steve sounded sincere but there was still something terrifying in his voice. Something measured. As if he knew he didn’t need violence to inflict pain. “I was just thinking about how you could aid the glory of Hydra. You could help the world so much. If you could just swallow your pride-”

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, Steve. I got a pretty good gig right now. I’m not considering any other offers.” Tony tried to bounce around the different CPUs, but found most of them were closed off to him. He should leave before he couldn’t, but he couldn’t help indulging in a little emotional masochism.

“That’s good. One should enjoy their work. So why did you come visit me? Trying to find ways to beat me?” _Trying to find ways to fix you_ , Tony thought.  “Because you won’t. This is our moment. I have been destined to triumph. And you are destined to fail.”

Tony thought back to something Carol had told him when she was recounting the war with the Builders, when Steve had cemented his position as one of the best strategists in the universe and not just the world. How Steve had told Eden he didn’t believe in heroic journeys or fate. That all you ever could do was your best.

Tony laughed.

In a different situation, it might have made him happy to see Steve’s face contort into mild annoyance. “You find something funny about that?”

“I figured out how we’ll beat you. You’re different than him. You’re weaker.” Tony said.

“Oh, please tell me more.” He said casually. Tony could tell Steve was trying to look nonplussed.

“ _My_ Steve...” Tony started and put emphasis on the possessive. Even after all the fights, he still felt like Steve was his. It wasn’t about ownership or anything like that. It was about their history, which Tony refused to let this abomination of a man steal from him. “He didn’t believe in your bullshit, in destiny. He just always expected the best from himself. And he always expected it from others, which meant he never underestimated them.”

“And here I thought I have been _overestimating_ you. I’m not sure you noticed, but it really hasn’t been a fair fight at all.” He was standing up now. There was a tension to his muscles, like he wanted to be pacing around but knew it would convey unease.

Tony had always known he could get under Steve’s skin, but it was different, seeing it like this. It wasn’t that Steve felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable around him, but that he was too high-strung to notice his vulnerabilities. That required the sort of self-awareness that would unravel this whole illusion.

“What do you want, Tony? You must know you won’t be learning anything more while you’re here.”

“I wanted to see if I could. The better question is _why did you let me?_ ” If he could say the right thing, maybe he could break through the man’s exterior. It felt like prodding a sleeping lion. If it was dangerous, well it was the best way to further the cause.

Steve’s voice was quiet and with the smallest inflection. “I told you. I missed you. Missed our little talks. Missed our little battles.”

He thought back to all the joyless fights they had throughout the years. “So that’s what this is. Another ‘little battle’?”

Tony had expected Steve to laugh that off or happily own it. Instead he looked wounded and set his shoulders as he stared off in a direction that Tony couldn’t follow. “This is your last chance. Anyone who joins Hydra will live. The rest of you... well, I will not be responsible if you insist on being stubborn.”

“You never were, so that’s just an excuse. What do you want, Steve? To hurt me?”

His jaw was set. Tony could see him clenching his teeth. “I never wanted to hurt you. It was always just a necessity.”

Tony let out another pathetic laugh. “You didn’t answer the question. What do you want? Why am I here? Do you want to hurt me? Do you want me to be flesh and blood so you can hit me?” Tony’s breath metaphorically caught in his throat and he was saying it before he had the time to really think it through. “Do you want to _fuck_ me?”

That did it. With great force, all the careful control left Steve’s body and he punched the wall so hard that the drywall turned to dust. As it settled around him, Tony saw less of a man and more of a live wire. Steve’s very skin was vibrating with repressed rage and his breath was coming out in ragged gasps. “No Tony, that was always just you.” He gritted out after a few minutes, but by the time he said it the words had lost all meaning. Certainly, his outburst was enough to betray his thoughts.

“You wish.” Tony tried to say with all the casualness of an off-hand joke. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t convincing. It didn’t need to be. They were far past that. There were quite for a few minutes before Tony said, “I’m sorry, Steve.”

“What in the hell can you possibly be talking about?” Steve’s composure had returned and he was the calm and collected man over all the recent news channels giving speeches on the glory of Hydra.

But now Tony knew better.

“I’m sorry I might not be able to fix you before you break.” If he could be broken, he could be beaten. And this man was too brittle not to break.

“That’s just another one of your fantasies.” Steve looked up from the place on the floor he had been focusing on. “This is only the beginning. The people want this, that’s what you can’t understand. You forget everyone isn’t a rich playboy stocked to his ears in the world’s most dangerous weaponry. Who cares about some idealized version of right and wrong when you are always at the mercy super people and their self-created enemies? Our might is our righteousness, we are-”

Tony cut out and left at that moment. There was no point in listening into one of Steve’s fascist speeches. He could just turn on the television.

Tony tried to not let his mind linger on the way Steve looked as Tony taunted him. It was only some complicated expression of a repressed psyche, nothing more. Tony didn’t need to be wonder if Steve- the good, kind, wonderful Steve- wanted to fuck him. More than decade of silence had told him enough.

He didn’t have time to waste on self-pity. Steve was a ticking time bomb and they needed the shards soon if there was ever going to be chance of getting him back. It was a chance for which he couldn’t give up hope.

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by the Imogen Heap song, which works oddly well for Secret Empire.


End file.
